益 → 剝
Hexagram 42: Increase → Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初九 利用為大作。元吉无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: It furthers one to accomplish great deeds. Supreme good fortune. No blame.
Line 3
六三 益之用凶事。无咎。有孚中行。告公用圭。
Six in the third place means: One is enriched through unfortunate events. No blame, if you are sincere And walk in the middle, And report with a seal to the prince.
Line 5
九五 有孚惠心。勿問元吉。有孚惠我德。
Nine in the fifth place means: If in truth you have a kind heart, ask not. Supreme good fortune. Truly, kindness will be recognized as your virtue.
Line 6
上九 莫益之。或擊之。立心勿恆。凶。
Nine at the top means: He brings increase to no one. Indeed, someone even strikes him. He does not keep his heart constantly steady. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
躡華顛，觀浮雲。風不搖，雨不薄。心安吉，无患咎。
Treading the flower-crowned summit, gazing upon floating clouds. The wind does not stir; the rain does not strike. The heart is at peace, auspicious, with neither trouble nor blame.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind and thunder bestow increase, and the transformation leads to the mountain resting upon the earth — the quiet resilience of Splitting Apart, here experienced from the summit rather than the erosion below. Climbing the crest of Hua Mountain, one gazes upon drifting clouds. The wind does not shake, the rain does not press close. The heart is at peace, auspicious; there is no misfortune or blame. Standing at the highest point, the observer finds perfect serenity above the turmoil. Clouds float past harmlessly; weather that might threaten at lower elevations cannot reach this vantage. From Increase to Splitting Apart, the verse offers a counterintuitive comfort: even as the mountain's base erodes, the one who dwells at the summit remains untouched. Increased elevation becomes a form of protection.
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